- DATE: September 13, 2016
- TO: Policy Committee
- FROM: Harry Hilton, UIUC AAUP Chapter President
- RE: President’s Monthly Report to Policy Committee (July 31 – September 13, 2016)
- Removal from AAUP censure list: The National AAUP Visiting Committee has not yet indicated a visit date prior to the June 14 – 18, 2017, national meeting when the topic the UoI censure will again be on the agenda.
- SEC meeting of July 26, 2016: Unfortunately I was unable to attend this meeting. I have since learned that there was some confusion at SEC about the action that AAUP Committee A recommended to the national meeting last month and which was turned down by the assembly. The pertinent national AAUP Committee statement was sent to you with my last report. The operative action is in the document’s last paragraph. It calls for the shifting by the delegates of their power to Committee A to act on the UIUC censure subsequent to a further visit by the AAUP investigating committee. This is not a blanket censure removal approval by the delegates although the tone of the document implies the Committee’s intentions. Committee A expected to take action on UIUC censure at its November 2016 meeting. Note that the recommendation was not for a delegation of authority but for final action by Committee A. This type of blanket authority transfer has never been granted to Committee A in the 101 years of AAUP’s existence and there was a great deal of opposition to creating such a precedent. I trust this clears up any confusion. We can discuss the matter further, if you wish, at the September PC meeting.
- Background checks: Nothing new
- Meeting with Trustees Cepeda (member, BoT committee on academic and student affairs, ASA) and Hassara (chair, ASA): At my request, President Killeen arranged a private meeting with two trustees and chapter officers on Sept. 7. O’Brien, Prussing, and I met with the two trustees. Also present were Killeen and Wil- son. The meeting was most cordial and constructive regarding faculty concerns about academic freedom and shared governance and censure removal. I reviewed the purpose of the chapter. I also pointed out that prior to the 1980’s, our PC met regularly once a year with the BoT. They seemed agreeable to future informal private meetings. O’Brien summarized our activities prior to and at the AAUP convention. If you recall the motion before the delegates was the unprecedented delegation to Committee A of sole authority to deal with UoI censure and not censure removal per se by the convention.
- Chancellor Jones: The new chancellor will assume his duties during the first week in October 2016. I will request his meeting with PC members.
- Tenure workshop: As soon as a new provost is named I will ask for her/his participation in our annual Spring 2017 workshop and set a date.
- Shared governance workshop: Our last year’s workshop concentrated on principles. Since we have identified problems at all levels, may I suggest the Ad hoc Committee concentrate on a panel discussion this fall of proper procedures starting at unit levels up to and including BoT. This item will be on the agenda for the next PC meeting. I have asked the provost to require unit’s to report on their shared governance procedures as part of the annual promotion dossiers. This would include pertinent unit bylaws statements as well as current operational examples.
- Steve Kaufman and censure: Nothing new to report
- Wozniak developments: Nothing new
- Introduction of future resolutions at PC meetings: The drafting of the NTFC resolution, passed by the Policy Committee by email ballot, required a great deal of correspondence and deprived the PC members of any opportunity for discussion. In the future, would members who wish to seek PC support please send draft resolutions to the Chapter Secretary so that they may be included with agenda mailings ahead of the PC meetings. Thank you.
- Free speech and the first amendment panel: Your attention is invited to a College of Law panel on Thursday September 15, noon to 1:30 pm in Illini Room A. Light refreshments will be served.